Ready to Cook

Home Preparation:

Step 1: This step is optional: 1-2 days before you are planning to cook this recipe, Brine and prep 4 thick-cut pork loin, bone-in rib chops or 4-6 thick, boneless pork loin chops.

Step 2: Remove the pork chops / loin chops from the brine and pat dry. Pour the remaining brine out. Add a few paper towels to the bag. Return the meat to the bag. This is how we’re going to pack it to camp. 

Step 3: Gather your 3-4 medium russet potatoes, 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup, can of beer, butter, breadcrumbs, and the salt and pepper.

Step 4: Prepare two Green Bell Peppers. We chop them and store them in a zipper bag with a couple of paper towels. You could also just pack them whole and prepare them in camp (this is how the video presents this recipe).

At Camp:

We need a very hot cast iron Dutch oven to sear our pork. Before we go any farther, let me stop and give you a bit of a chef tip. We need to take in consideration that the meat itself will cool that pot down considerably as soon as the meat hits that pot’s surface. If the pot cools too fast, the meat will not sear. We really can only tell if the meat is properly seared by look; how does the meat look? If we flip the pork and it’s still that cream-white color and not that golden or deep red, toasted color, we’ll let it sit there on the heat longer. The longer it sits there the more time for the meat’s “juices” to “flow” from the meat and pool up. If the juices do not evaporate quickly enough, the meat will start to simmer in its own juices and essentially boil. We will need to sear the meat in a pot at about 450°F / 235°C (later, we’ll bake at about 350°F / 175°C).

I’m going to present this recipe in a 12-inch cast iron Dutch oven and prepare it with four boneless pork loin chops. The pork can be seared in any number of ways. 

1. You can heat your cast Iron Dutch oven to a wicked hot temperature of 450°F−500°F / 235°C-260°C and add all the meat at one time. My suggestion is to consider the size of the cuts of meat. If they are too large and touching each other, the cool meat will “win” over the hot pot and the sear is likely not going to happen.
2. Another option is to sear the meat in batches. You can sear 2-3 pieces at a time and keep a warming pot nearby (a 2nd Dutch oven near the fire) to keep the first batch of meat in and warm while you sear the second batch.
3. You can sear the meat over an open fire. This is perfectly A-OK. You can go straight from searing the meat over the fire to in-the-pot baking with the potatoes and other ingredients. 

One more tip: When you are ready to sear the pork, just make sure it’s pat-dry.

The following steps will reference searing right in the cast iron Dutch oven. 

Step 5: Set 30-35 (or more) charcoal briquettes to fire in a pile or in the charcoal chimney. Set your cast iron Dutch oven near that burning pile of briquettes and start to warm it up.

Step 6: Heat the Dutch oven for frying. Place the 12-inch cast iron Dutch oven over those 30-35 (or more) briquettes and really heat it up well. Don’t add your butter yet. Once the pot starts to show wisps of smoke, add the 2 tablespoons of butter, and let it heat up and “toast.” You’ll see the butter melt with some of the butter solids starting to separate and brown. Don’t burn the butter. If you do, wipe it out (a paper towel works well) and start over.

Note: You can use whatever oil you’d like.

Step 7: When the butter and the pot are wicked hot (don’t burn that butter), add your pork and a sprig or three of rosemary. Leave the rosemary to the side and not under the pork. The pork should be in direct contact with that hot pot. Sear the first side very well. Then, turn the pieces of meat and sear the other side. Keep the cast iron Dutch oven’s lid nearby and inside up (upside down) to receive the meat after both sides are seared to that golden color. You can use a warming pot as mentioned above.

While you are searing the meat, take the time to prepare the rest of the ingredients. Keep an eye on that meat though.

1. Wash and cube the potatoes. Skin on or skin off: that’s up to you.
2. Chop your bell peppers (unless already chopped)
3. Open and have ready the cans of cream of mushroom soup.
4. Have the breadcrumbs ready for pouring and your cooking beer opened.

OPTIONAL: We are first searing (frying) and later we will bake this recipe. If you feel you need a fresh set of briquettes, then set 25-30 briquettes to fire (a 12-inch camp Dutch oven needs about 24 briquettes to bake at the goal of 350°F / 175°C).

Things are going to speed up from here and then we’ll have the baking time to enjoy visiting, drinking beer, and just enjoying the day or the evening. You can leave the pot over the hot coals for the next steps or, remove the pot from the heat. It’s up to you. Use your good judgment and don’t burn anything. 

Me? I remove the pot from the fire and that way I can go quick but not too quick. No stress; no worries.

Step 8: After you have seared your pork, place the hot meat nearby on the upside-down lid or in another Dutch oven to keep warm. Remove the stem of rosemary but just leave the bits of rosemary that broke free from the stem. And no, I don’t break off or add anymore. Whatever rosemary is in the pot is all I use.

Step 9: Pour in about 1 cup of seasoned breadcrumbs over whatever bits and pieces are left from searing the pork and butter is left in that pot. You can measure this out or eyeball-it. Pour in about ½ cup of beer at a time (there are three half cups in a 12-ounce bottle or can of beer). Mix the beer in with the breadcrumbs and create a batter-like mixture about the consistency of thick pancake batter. If you need to add more beer, then do so (Expect to use about 12-16 ounces…to be safe).

Step 10: Return the seared pork to the pot. You can turn the pork in the batter or just lay the pork right on top of the breadcrumb batter and call it good.

Step 11: Top the pork with the potatoes. WATCH THE HEAD ROOM. Leave enough room to add the bell peppers and later some more breadcrumbs. 

Step 12: Pour over the cans of cream of mushroom soup and roughly spread about the top of the potatoes. KEEP THE CANS…

Step 13: Add about ½ cup of beer to one of the empty cans of cream of mushroom soup. Mix it about and try to get the rest of the soup out. Now, pour the can over and into the other can. Mix it about. We are trying to wash out some of the remaining cream of mushroom soup.

Pour all that into the pot.

Step 13: Add the chopped green bell peppers to the top of the entire recipe/mixture.

Step 14: Cover the pot and set the Dutch oven to bake. Place 8 hot briquettes around the circumference of the bottom and place 16 hot briquettes on the top. Set your windshield and let the dish bake for about 45 minutes. Turn the pot and lid about every 10-15 minutes.

Pork is considered done at 145°F / 65°C. And your pork may well be done to 145°F / 65°C before the potatoes are done. After about 30-45 minutes, check the potatoes first by “sneaking in” under the lid and getting a bit of potato. If it’s not done, keep cooking. If the potatoes are done, then check the pork for temperature. This is where that meat thermometer comes in handy!!

CONSIDERATION: This recipe may take an hour or more to fully cook. I ask that you check on the meal after 30-45 minutes to see the progress with the idea that you can continue cooking underdone food, but you can’t unburn food. Be prepared for about an hour or more (give or take) for this recipe to fully cook. Think “baked potato.”

Step 15: Once the dish is done, remove the lid and pour a thin layer of breadcrumbs over the mixture. Remove all of the heat from the bottom of the Dutch oven and place any remaining briquettes over the top of the Dutch oven (including any that you did not use. Just get the top hot!

Once the breadcrumbs on the top are toasted, remove the pot from the heat and ENJOY!! 

I just stick a fork in there and pull out a chop. Then, I spoon over some potatoes. Sour Cream goes a long way with this one (and an optional ingredient when cooking this meal).